Your Right to Know

WASHINGTON — Talk of a
federal-government shutdown is escalating as Congress appears unable to resolve a dispute over
disaster aid, with Republicans insisting that assistance be paid for with spending cuts elsewhere
in the budget.

Days remain for Congress to end the stalemate or risk shutting down the government. The disaster
aid is included in a broader bill to fund the government for the first weeks of the 2012 fiscal
year, which begins Oct. 1.

“Nobody’s intending to bring about a government shutdown,” said Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., the
House majority leader. “The country’s sort of seen enough of that.”

The GOP-led House expects to vote today on the government-funding bill, but it is unclear
whether the legislation will have enough votes to pass.

Democrats have rejected the Republican approach of paying for supplemental disaster aid with
spending cuts, calling it an unprecedented way of providing emergency assistance. Disaster aid
traditionally has been a bipartisan issue, as both parties have agreed to provide emergency funds
for disaster victims.

House Republican leaders are likely to need Democratic votes to pass the government-funding bill
because of dissatisfaction from conservatives with the legislation — the right flank wants deeper
cuts across the government.

If the bill clears the House, the Senate will try to amend the legislation with its own
disaster-aid package, setting the bill on a ping-pong track between the chambers.

Congress hopes to resolve the issue by Friday, as the House and Senate are scheduled to be on
recess next week for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the majority leader, said he was “not that sure” the impasse could be
broken by then. Democrats, he said, were prepared to work into next week, if necessary.

After a series of natural disasters this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will run
out of funds.

Already, FEMA is prioritizing aid, spending its remaining resources to provide food, shelter and
debris removal in the wake of Hurricane Irene.